Blog by-the-Sea

The Synod of Bishops Concludes with a Call to Africa to "Rise Up", Take the Road of a New Evangelization, and Build Peace

The Synod of Bishops Special Assembly for Africa concluded today.  Following yesterday's final General Congregation, Pope Benedict called the Synod a success at a luncheon.  Vatican Radio has an audio report on the Pope's words yesterday.

Asia News has published an English translation of the full text of the Message prepared by the Bishops during the Synod.  The Message addresses the state of the Church in Africa today, and the involvement of the Church globally in welcoming Africans who have immigrated and in sending assistance and missionaries to Africa. 

The Message also expresses a call to the international community, beyond the boundaries of the Church, to "treat Africa with respect and dignity" and to correct "unjust structures" in the world economic order. 

Congratulating the few African countries that have "started on the route of genuine democracy" and are reaping the "dividends of doing things well", the Message also addresses those parts of Africa, such as Somalia, engulfed in conflict, and places where "greed for power and wealth at the expense of the people and nation".  Concerning those conflicts, "poverty, misery and disease", human trafficking, "the atrocity of child soldiers and unspeakable violence against women", the Message calls on Africa to "rise up", and states that "it is time to change habits, for the sake of present and future generations". 

Recalling that Pope Benedict XVI said, at the Synod's Inaugural Mass, that Africa is 'the 'spiritual lung' of the humanity of today, the Message states that "this is a precious resource, more valuable than our minerals and oil".  The Message warns of the risks of religious fanaticism, and applauds success in interfaith dialogue with Muslims and people of other faiths, encouraging mutuality of laws permitting conversions from Islam to Christianity where the laws permit conversion from Christianity to Islam.  Entrusting the Message and its commitments to Mary, the Message offers these concluding thoughts:

"Dear brothers in the episcopate, dear sons and daughters of the Church Family of God in Africa, all you men and women of good will in Africa and beyond, we share with you the strong conviction of this Synod: that Africa is not helpless. Our destiny is still in our hands. All she is asking for is the space to breathe and thrive. Africa is already moving; and the Church is moving with her, offering her the light of the Gospel. The waters may be turbulent. But with our gaze on Christ the Lord (cf. Mt 14:28 32), we shall make it safely to the port of reconciliation, justice and peace."

Today, the Holy Father celebrated Mass to conclude the Synod meeting.  Zenit has an English translation of the Pope's homily and his words at the midday Angelus.  Benedetto XVI Forum has photos and also has an English translation of the Pope's homily.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian texts of the Holy Father's homily and words at the Angelus. Referring to today's readings for Mass, he expressed a "message of hope for Africa": "that the Lord of history never tires of renewing for mankind oppressed and overcome in every age and on every land, since he revealed to Moses what he wished for the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt."  He called on the Church in Africa to arise:

"Take the road of a new evangelization with the courage that comes from the Holy Spirit. This urgent evangelizing action, which was spoken about very much these days, also carries an urgent call to reconciliation, the indispensable condition in order to establish relationships of justice among men in Africa, and to construct an equitable and lasting peace respectful of every individual and every people. A peace that requires and is open to the contribution of all men of good will above and beyond their respective religious, ethnic, linguistic, cultural and social affiliations."

The African Synod: "The most important thing, for everyone, is to listen"

Pope Benedict presided at an opening Mass for a Special Synodal Assembly for Africa today.  In his homily, he spoke about Africa's "deep sense of God" and called it "an enormous spiritual 'lung' for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith and hope."  He warned of the risks of "materialism, combined with relativist and nihilist thinking." 

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the homily.  The Daily Journal has the original Italian text.  Asia News has an article about the homily and the Pope's words at the midday Angelus.  Catholic News Agency has an article about the synod.

At the midday Angelus, the Holy Father recalled the first "African Synod" established by Pope John Paul II in 1994, and described the way the synod works, with the Holy Spirit leading the Church.  He said, "The most important thing, for everyone, is to listen - to listen to each other, while all of us listen to what the Lord wishes to tell us. That is why the Synod assembly takes place in an atmosphere of faith and prayer, in religious obedience to the Word of God."

In his remarks to English-speaking visitors after the Angelus, he said:

"I invite all of you to join me in praying for the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, which opened this morning in Saint Peter’s Basilica. May this great ecclesial event strengthen the Church in Africa in her witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in her efforts to promote reconciliation, justice and peace among its peoples. May the Synod also help turn the eyes of the world to that great continent and inspire renewed solidarity with our African brothers and sisters. As we entrust these prayers to the intercession of Our Lady, I invoke upon you and your families God’s blessings of joy and peace!"

Elena Maria Vidal on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Elena Maria Vidal has a series of posts related to today's Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at her new Carmelite-related blog Fountain of Elias:

Madame Elisabeth's Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Paray-le-Monial, 1689

Sacred Heart Badge

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Inauguration of the Year of Priests

Pope Benedict XVI has written a letter to priests for the jubilee Year of Priests scheduled to begin tomorrow.  The letter is dated June 16, 2009.  It was published today on the Vatican website.

EWTN will broadcast tomorrow's vespers service planned to begin the Year of Priests in the presence of the relics of St. Jean Vianney, available by cable and online.  The broadcast will be at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, 8:30 a.m. Pacific.  Catholic TV will also broadcast it live online and will rebroadcast it on Saturday.   KTO TV (French) will broadcast it with French commentary, and also has a 52-minute video about this year's 150th anniversary of the death of the holy  Curé d'Ars.  Catholic TV and KTO will probably have the videos of the vespers service available for viewing later.

Two Encyclicals in Preparation for the Year of Priests

In preparation for the Year of Priests which is to begin this Friday, here are a couple of links to Pope John XXIII's Encyclical on St. John Vianney on the 100th anniversary of the saint's death, and Pope Pius XI's Encyclical on the Catholic Priesthood.

Here is Section 26 from Pope John XXIII's Encyclical on St. Jean Vianney:

"The ascetic way of life, by which priestly chastity is preserved, does not enclose the priest's soul within the sterile confines of his own interests, but rather it makes him more eager and ready to relieve the needs of his brethren. St. John Mary Vianney has this pertinent comment to make in this regard: 'A soul adorned with the virtue of chastity cannot help loving others; for it has discovered the source and font of love—God.'  What great benefits are conferred on human society by men like this who are free of the cares of the world and totally dedicated to the divine ministry so that they can employ their lives, thoughts, powers in the interest of their brethren! How valuable to the Church are priests who are anxious to preserve perfect chastity! For We agree with Our predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI, in regarding this as the outstanding adornment of the Catholic priesthood and as something 'that seems to Us to correspond better to the counsels and wishes of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, so far as the souls of priests are concerned.' Was not the mind of John Mary Vianney soaring to reach the counsels of this same divine charity when he wrote this lofty sentence: 'Is the priesthood love of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus?'"

Picture: Statue of St. Jean Vianney in the Cathedral in Lyon, France (Primatiale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon).  Photo by me.

A Collection of New Speeches and Articles on the Year of Priests

On June 6, the Holy Father addressed the Pontifical French Seminary on the subject of priestly formation as the seminary was handed over by the Holy Ghost Fathers to the French Bishops Conference.  The Vatican website has the French text and should have an English translation soon.  Catholic News Agency has an article.

Sandro Magister posted a new article yesterday for the upcoming Year of the Priest, titled "A Special Year to Get Priests Back in Shape".  In it, he talks about the reasons for the special attention to the priesthood in the year that begins next week on June 19.  Those include a need "to strengthen the spiritual identity of the clergy, and to purify it from 'filth'."  They also include a need for the formation of the priesthood in the seminaries to address secularism both within and outside of them.  Magister offers and English translation of a speech by Jean-Louis Bruguès (the Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education) to the rectors of the pontifical seminaries, published by L'Osservatore Romano on June 3, 2009.  The speech is captioned "Formation for the priesthood, between secularism and models of the Church".

On June 5, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza (the Secretary for the Congregation of the Clergy) issued a Letter on the Year of Priests, posted in English translation on Zenit.

On June 9, Cardinal Francis George wrote about the Year of Priests for this week's issue of the Archdiocese of Chicago's newspaper Catholic New World.  His article was re-published by Catholic Online.

Updated June 16: Zenit has added a Reflection by Cardinal Justin Rigali originally printed in the Diocese of Philadelphia's newspaper, The Catholic Standard and Times.

Bishop Cordileone's Homily at His Installation Mass

J. Peter Nixon, at the Commweal Magazine blog, posted the text of Bishop Cordileone's Homily at his Mass of Installation as Bishop of Oakland on Tuesday.  I just found it last night, courtesy of Amy Welborn's blog Via Media. 

I learned something I did not know about Bishop Cordileone while he was Auxiliary Bishop of our Diocese of San Diego (I never knew his parents were from Sicily).  It is a beautifully written, both personal and deep. 

I never got to hear many of his homilies while he was here and never found them in print, but I always appreciated his positions on various issues.  I hope that, now that he is bishop of the diocese of one of the authors of Commonweal, perhaps we will find more of his homilies in print.

Here is an excerpt from the text that you can download at Commonweal:

"Jesus practices what he preaches. When we were estranged from him, he took on our flesh in order to become our friend to the point of laying down his life for us – indeed, as a friend and as a bridegroom.  Is this not what spouses are called to do, to lay down their lives for each other? Christ took the Church as his bride in that very moment when he died on the cross. He drew near to us and abided in our flesh, marrying his divinity with our humanity, and so he now commands us to draw near to him and abide in him, a relationship of mutual complementarity in which each offers a total gift of self to the other."

Five New Saints Canonized: "Nourished by the Eucharistic Bread"

Pope Benedict canonized 5 new saints today in a Mass in St. Peter's Square.  They are Arcangelo Tadini (19th-20th century founder of the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth), Bernardo Tolomei (14th century founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Virgin of Monte Oliveto of the Order of Saint Benedict), Nuno de Santa Maria Álvares Pereira (14th-15th century Portuguese Carmelite priest), Gertrude Comensoli (19th-20th century foundress of the Congregation of the Sacramentine Sisters) and Caterina Volpicelli (19th century foundress of the Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Heart).

In his homily, the Holy Father spoke about the Eucharist, saying, "Nourished by the Eucharistic Bread, the saints we venerate today brought their mission of evangelical love to fulfillment in the various fields where they worked their individual charisms."

In his address at the Regina Caeli, at the conclusion of the Mass, he acknowledged Italian officials, including those from the birth cities of four of the five new saints, and Portuguese officials.  He particularly greeted the Carmelites and the devotees of St. Nuno.

Papa Ratzinger Forum has both texts and photographs from the canonization.  Zenit has posted a full translation of the Regina Caeli address.  The Vatican Press Office's Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text of the homily and Regina Caeli address.  Catholic News Agency and Asia News have articles.

A Year of Priests to Begin in the Presence of the Relics of the Curé d'Ars

Vatican Information Service Press Releases:

VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2009 (VIS) -This morning in the Vatican the Holy Father received members of the Congregation for the Clergy, who are currently celebrating their plenary assembly on the theme: "The missionary identity of priests in the Church as an intrinsic dimension of the exercise of the 'tre munera'". . . .

Benedict XVI highlighted the "indispensable struggle for moral perfection which must dwell in every truly priestly heart. In order to favour this tendency of priests towards spiritual perfection, upon which the effectiveness of their ministry principally depends, I have", he said, "decided to call a special 'Year for Priests' which will run from 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010". This year marks "the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly 'Cure of Ars', Jean Marie Vianney, a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ's flock". . . .

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VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2009 (VIS) - "Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests" is the theme of the Year for Priests announced today by the Holy Father, according to a communique issued by the Holy See Press Office.

The Pope will inaugurate the Year on 19 June, presiding at Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica where the relics of the saintly 'Cure of Ars' will be brought for the occasion by Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, France. He will close the year on 19 June 2010, presiding at a "World Meeting of Priests" in St. Peter's Square.

During the course of the Year, Benedict XVI will proclaim St. Jean Marie Vianney as patron saint of all the priests of the world. A "Directory for Confessors and Spiritual Directors" will also be published, as will a collection of texts by the Supreme Pontiff on essential aspects of the life and mission of priests in our time.

The Congregation for the Clergy, together with diocesan ordinaries and superiors of religious institutes, will undertake to promote and co-ordinate the various spiritual and pastoral initiatives which are being organised to highlight the role and mission of the clergy in the Church and in modern society, and the need to intensify the permanent formation of priests, associating it with that of seminarians.
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Resorces on St. Jean Vianney:

See the Books by-the-Sea a-store (on amazon.com) in the sidebar.  On pages 3 and 4, there are books with writings by and about St. Jean Vianney, the Holy Curé of Ars.  These are among the books moved to the first few pages several weeks ago as Lenten reading.

Patron Saint Index

Letter by Pope John Paul II

Pope John XXIII on the Centennial Celebration

Catholic Encyclopedia

Official Site of the Shrine of Ars

Pax Travel Pilgrimage to Ars Site

Shrine Towns of France Page on Ars

Vatican Statement on Remission of the SSPX Excommunications and the Holocaust

From Vatican Information Service today (my emphasis added):

VATICAN CITY, 5 FEB 2009 (VIS) - The Secretariat of State of the Holy See, published the following note yesterday afternoon:

"In the wake of reactions provoked by the recent Decree from the Congregation for Bishops lifting the excommunication on the four prelates of the Society of St. Pius X, and with reference to declarations denying and reducing the Shoah pronounced by Bishop Williamson, a member of that society, it is felt appropriate to clarify certain aspects of the issue:

1. Remission of the excommunication

"As has previously been explained, the Decree from the Congregation for Bishops, dated 21 January 2009, was an act by which the Holy Father benignly responded to repeated requests from the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X.

"His Holiness wished to remove an impediment that hindered the opening of a door to dialogue, and he now awaits a similar readiness to be expressed by the four bishops, in complete adherence to the doctrine and discipline of the Church.

"The extremely serious penalty of excommunication 'latae sententiae', which these bishops incurred on 30 June 1988, formally announced on 1 July of the same year, was a consequence of their illegitimate ordination by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

"The remission of the excommunication has freed the four bishops from a serious canonical penalty, but it has not altered the juridical position of the Society of St. Pius X which, at the present time, enjoys no canonical recognition within the Catholic Church. Even the four bishops, though released from excommunication, have no canonical function in the Church and cannot legally exercise a ministry within her".

2. Tradition, doctrine and Vatican Council II

"An indispensable condition for any future recognition of the Society of St. Pius X is their full recognition of Vatican Council II and of the Magisterium of Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI.

"As already affirmed in the Decree of 21 January 2009, the Holy See will not fail, in ways considered most appropriate, to join the parties concerned in a profound examination of outstanding issues, so as to be able to reach a full and satisfactory solution to the problems that gave rise to this painful split".

3. Declarations concerning the Shoah

"Msgr. Williamson's views on the Shoah are absolutely unacceptable, and firmly rejected by the Holy Father as he himself said on 28 January when, referring to that brutal genocide, he reiterated his complete and indisputable solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters who received the First Covenant, affirming that the memory of that terrible event must 'induce humankind to reflect upon the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the heart of man', adding that the Shoah remains 'an admonition for everyone against oblivion, negation and reductionism, because violence against a single human being is violence against all'.

"In order to be readmitted to episcopal functions within the Church, Bishop Williamson must absolutely, unequivocally and publicly distance himself from his views concerning the Shoah, which were unknown to the Holy Father at the moment he lifted the excommunication.

"The Holy Father asks all the faithful to accompany him in prayer, that the Lord may illuminate the path of the Church. May all pastors and faithful increase their commitment in support of the delicate and onerous mission of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, the 'custodian of unity' within the Church".

For more on this issue:

Yesterday, Sandro Magister posted an article titled Double Disaster at the Vatican: Of Governance and of Communication, in which he mentioned people blaming the Pope.  Magister comments on the media uproar:

"The question comes naturally: was all of this really inevitable, once the pope had decided to lift the excommunication of the Lefebvrist bishops? Or was the disaster produced by the errors and omissions of the men who are supposed to implement the pope's decisions? The facts point to the second hypothesis."

Christopher Blosser has a round-up of key documents, statements and commentary at The Benedict Blog.